Bade, David

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Texas A&amp;M Repository

,.tg-g"L-2202Iu-I 3 .S' "'\_~_ Texas Agricultural Extension Service"'-----..~- P(JAf/~ H~Ut9 P(JAf/~------------'Selection of a Grass VarietyDavid Bade*Selection of a grass variety is an important decisionthat will either bring years of satisfaction or will hauntyou for many years to come. Planting a grass is a longterm project. Once the time and expense is investedin establishing a perennial grass, it is hard to un-do anunwise decision and start over with a different variety.In selecting a variety realize that many grasses areavailable for consideration but there is no miraclegrass - one which will fulfill all the objectives you havein mind for your pasture. All varieties have advantagesand disadvantages which must be considered.The variety of grass which is used should providethe QUANTITY and QUALITY of forage necessaryto meet livestock's nutritional needs throughout theyear and from year to year. Notice that equalemphasis is placed on the quality of the forage as thequantity or yield. For production to continue yearafter year, the grass must maintain itself and growunder your management and stocking rates.Grass Variety SelectionAdaptation to Soil and ClimateSoil factors to consider are soil type (sand, loam orclay), soil drainage (external and internal), soil pH, soilmoisture holding capacity and soil problems (salt).Each grass variety has specific soil preferences. Ingeneral, the heavy clay soils with poor drainage aresuited to common bermuda grass, dallisgrass, switch-grass, bahiagrass and improved bluestem. The loamsto sandy loams are suited to hybrid bermudagrasses,johnsongrass, kleingrass, switchgrass, buffelgrass andbahiagrass. The droughty sandy soils are more adaptedto hybrid bermudagrasses with strong rhizome devel-opment or buffelgrass (South Texas). The climate willdictate selection of grasses which survive the normalwinter periods or droughts. For example, commonbuffelgrass will not grow in northern areas of Districts11 and 14 due to its lack of cold tolerance.Production of High Quality ForageIdeally a grass variety should produce adequateforage over a long growing season. Total yield*Extension forage specialist, The Texas A&M University System.information and seasonal production on various soiltypes is helpful in considering varieties. In general,most of the production from our grasses occurs inthe spring of the year, drops in the summer whenrains are limiting and increases to a smaller extent inthe fall. Quality of the forage at various times in thegrowing period should be adequate to meet therequirements of the animals (beef cows, horses, dairycows, etc.). Quality information given for manygrasses are percent crude protein, energy contentand percent phosphorus. Although animal perfor-mance would be the best measure of a grass variety,only limited research results measure animal per-formance differences among grasses.Use of the GrassThe grass variety must be appropriate for thedesired uses. Uses include grazing, close grazing,hay and/or turf. Some grasses are more suited tograzing than hay due to their growth pattern. Grassescan vary greatly as the ability to withstand long-termclose grazing. A small producer with a high stockingrate on heavy, low soils is interested in a grass whichwill produce forage and a good turf for animalfooting. Sod type grasses like bahia and bermudagrassproduce good turf and can be grazed close for longperiods of time.Does the Grass Fit Your Management? (OrMismanagement?)Certain grasses perform very well under adequatefertilization, but will not produce and will die whenfertilization is skipped. Switchgrass, johnsongrassand indiangrass will do well in rotational grazing, butwill quickly die out when grazed continuously. Thefuture management of the grass should be consideredin grass selection. Information on fertilizer responses,animal preference and ability to withstand close grazingor cutting are available for many of the grass varieties.Other FactorsOther factors to consider are potential insect anddisease resistance, tolerance to prescribed burningand tolerance to herbicide usage.Texas Agricultural Extension Service. Zerle L. Carpenter, Director. The Texas A&M University System. College Station, TexasCost of Establishment and MaintenanceCost of establishment is high, yet should not playabig role in grass selection. Remember these costs areprorated over many years of production, so estab-lishment cost per year is low compared to annualcrops. Production cost should be considered sorequired yearly cash costs will be known. Budgetsare available from county Extension agents.Grass Varieties for District 11 and theUpper Part of District 14The following warm season grass varieties arebeing used successfully in Districts 11 and 14:Bahiagrass - PensacolaBermudagrasses - Common, Coastal, Alicia,Brazos, Tifton 44, Sheffield,other hybrids (callie, Coast-cross 1)Bluestem grasses - Gordo, Media, Angleton,Pretoria 90Buffelgrass - Common, Higgins, Nueces, LlanoDallisgrass - CommonKleingrass - Klein 75, VerdeIndiangrass - LometaJohnsongrassSwitchgrass - AlamoAdvantages and disadvantages of each grass follow.Additional information can be obtained from yourcounty Extension agent, Soil Conservation Serviceand successful forage producers in the county. Obtainas much production information as possible whendeciding on a grass variety. Beware of new "miraclegrasses" which are advertised without adequate,unbiased performance data. Remember just becausea grass variety is new does not mean it is better thanthose which are already doing a good job. Thesegrasses should be tried on a small scale underdemonstration comparisons to prove their meritbefore planting on a large acreage.BERMUDAGRASS COMPARISONSComparable Comparable ComparableRapidity of Rhizome Cold Forage Forage AnimalVariety Cover Development Tolerance Density Yield Quality PerformanceCoastal Slow Medium Good Good 100 100 100Alicia Rapid Medium Low Fair 102 95Coast-Cross 1 Rapid NO:le Low Low 92 107Midland Medium Limited High Fair 93 100Callie Rapid Limited Low Low 81 112 111Tifton 44 Slow Medium Good Fair 35 109 108Brazos Slow Medium High Good 92 110 124Common Medium Varies Good 78 92FORAGE PRODUCTION (TONSIACRE)McGregor Angleton OvertonYears in Texas 2 3Coastal 8.9 4.2 5.8Coast-Cross 1 7.6 4.7Alicia 8.6 4.5 5.5Brazos 8.9 4.3 4.8Callie 3.7 3.7Tifton 44 4.5College Station8.27.57.47.0Source: Research Monogram 6, TAES; Forage Research in Texas.Tifhi 1 and Tifhi 2ParaguayAngletonPretoria 90HYBRID BERMUDAGRASSESAdvantages1. Sod type grass.2. Excellent yield potential.3. Good drought tolerance.4. Adapted to wide range soils.5. Good hay producer.6. Can stand mis-management.Disadvantages1. Low quality in midsummer.2. High fertilizer requirement.VarietiesCommon and NK 37 - Seed types.Coastal - Developed Georgia.Coast-Cross #1 - High quality- Cross Coastal with bermuda from Kenyaby Georgia.- Lacks cold tolerane.Alicia and Sheffield - Similar yields as Coastal; same orlower quality.Callie - Mississippi State University.- Fast growth and quality.- Lacks cold tolerance, leaf diseases.Midland - Cold tolerant variety.Tifton 44 - Released 1978. Georgia.- Higher quality. Lower yield in South Texas.Brazos - Release 1983. Released by Oklahoma, Texas andLouisiana.- Slower to cover than Coastal.- Higher quality, equal yield than Coastal.- 20 to 25% increase in animal performance.BAHIAGRASSAdvantages1. Dense sod former.2. Very competitive when established.3. Shade tolerant.4. Adapted low fertility soils.5. Long growing season.6. Few disease and insect problems.7. Seeds very hard (spreads by grazing).Disadvantages1. Weak seedlings.2. Limited drought tolerance.3. Short growth - hay?4. Lower forage and beef yields than Coastal.5. Ergot poisoning.6. Hard to maintain legumes in stand.VarietiesCommonPensacolaArgentine4. Pretoria 90 lacks seed vigor.*Pretoria 90 does begin growth in early spring.VarietiesGordoMedioBUFFELGRASSAdvantages1. Excellent drought tolerance.2. Recovers quickly from summer rain or grazing.3. Palatable.4. Long growing season.5. Easy to establish.Disadvantages1. Lacks cold tolerance.2. Becomes stemmy when mature.VarietiesCommonHiggins - Higher yield and larger seed crop; Released1967.Nueces and Llano - Higher forage potential; Nueces hashigher digestibility.- Improved cold tolerance.- Denser stands, Nueces has longerrhizomes..Beeville College Station3 Year Average 4 Year AverageLlano 5880 9040Nueces 5570 7900Higgins 4440 7140Common 4430KLEINGRASSAdvantages1. Very palatable.2. Drought tolerance.3. Long growing season.4. Maintains quality after frost.5. Excellent hay.6. Moderate fertility requirement.7. Good yield under moderate production conditions.8. Can withstand close grazing.9. Quick recovery.Disadvantages1. Lower yield potential than Coastal.2. Establishment difficulty.3. Swell-head in sheep.4. Seed shattering.5. Small seed.Source: Hussey and Holt, Forage Research in Texas, 1982.VarietiesKleingrass-75, Released in 1968.Verde - Released in 1982. Advantage is larger seed size,increased seedling vigor and wildlife food. Noadvantages in yield or quality.BLUESTEM GRASSESAdvantages1. Adapted to clay soils or sandy soils with shallow claylayer.2. Production in late summer or fall.3. Suited for both grazing and hay.4. Medio bluestem has fair drought tolerance.5. Produces well under minimum fertility.Disadvantages1. Does not begin growth until late spring or early summer.2. Low potential for high quality hay.3. Lack of animal performance data.Kleingrass-75Verde3 Years AverageYield (Ibs./acre)104709730PercentDigestibility57%58%DALLISGRASSAdvantages1. Adapted to rich black clay soils and bottomlands in highrainfall areas.2. Long growing season - one of the first grasses for springgreenup and one of the last to go dormant in the fall.3. Fairly uniform growth throughout the season.4. Highly palatable.5. Suited for growth in mixtures (Le.: common bermuda-grass - S-1 clover - Dallisgrass).6. Tolerates wet conditions.7. Can withstand close grazing.8. Higher quality than Common, Coastal, Alicia or Bahia-grass.9. Good drought tolerance on heavy soils.Disadvantages1. Low forage production per acre.2. Low animal production per acre.3. Ergot infections of seedheads can cause cattle to abort.Seedhead ergot is controlled by mowing off seedheadsprior to grazing.4. Poor seed quality.5. Growth pattern not well suited for hay production.6. Lacks production potential under high fertilization.ALAMO SWITCHGRASSDescription1. Native, warm season bunch grass 3 to 6 feet fall.2. Origin: George West, Texas3. Wide leaves, robust growth.4. Produces 2 to 3 times forage as 'Blackwell' Switchgrass.5. Released by TAES and SCS in 1979.Advantages1. High percentage of leaf.2. Palatable.3. Excellent grazing.4. Yields well under moderate fertility.Disadvantages1. Cannot withstand close, continuous grazing.2. Lower yield potential.3. No animal performance data.LOMETA INDIANGRASSDescription1. Native, warm season bunchgrass 3 to 8 feet tall.2. Origin: Lometa, Texas (Lampasas).3. A late maturing, drought tolerant grass.4. Excellent regrowth.5. Long growing season.6. Cannot withstand close continuous grazing.Educational programs conducted by the Texas Agricultural Extension Service serve people of all ages regardless ofsocioeconomic level, race, color, sex, religion, handicap or national origin.Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension Work in Agriculture and Home Economics, Acts of Congress of May 8, 1914, asamended, and June 30,1914, in cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture. Zerle L. Carpenter, Director, TexasAgricultural Extension Service, The Texas A&M University System.3.5M-7-86, New RS

Selection of a Grass Variety.

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Selection of a Grass Variety.

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Selection of a Grass Variety.

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